End Substandard Fire Protection in Round Rock.
Vote Yes on Proposition B.

The Life And Death Mathematics Of Response Time & NFPA Minimum Staffing.

Not meeting minimum staffing levels results in sending more apparatus than would be otherwise necessary. There are OSHA requirements that must be met in the case of firefighting, and there are NFPA requirements about the numbers of firefighters needed to battle fires, according to occupancy type (single family dwelling, apartments, high rises, industrial, commercial, and so forth).

If only three firefighters are assigned to a given apparatus (the predominant staffing level currently in Round Rock) and four firefighters are required, another apparatus and its crew must be sent to the emergency scene. Sending that additional engine leaves a gap in coverage. So, if a new emergency arises in that uncovered area, it will take much longer for a more distant apparatus and crew of Round Rock firefighters and/or firefighter/paramedics to arrive at the new emergency.

The personnel juggling that’s currently required slows response time and unnecessarily sends more apparatus and firefighters to a given incident than would be required if the NFPA’s minimal staffing levels were met.

Proposition B is designed to end the personnel juggling that’s currently required. A fire at a home or a daycare center shouldn’t ever have to worry about response to their emergency call taking longer than it should because all the City’s fire resources are tied up at a data center fire.

Proposition B also includes performance standards because emergency response is not theoretical and should never be dependent upon the opinions of elected officials rather than professional firefighters who actually do the work.

Leaving wiggle-room to move personnel on the fly or setting a department standard where “close enough” is the norm simply doesn’t cut it in the real world of firefighting and emergency response. A fire can double in size every 30 to 60 seconds. Cardiac arrest survival drops significantly with each passing minute. Brain cells begin dying within four minutes without oxygen. Every second counts when your child is not breathing, or your home is on fire, or someone you love is trapped in a vehicle.

The numbers don't lie. When City staff and elected officials imply that Prop B isn’t needed, what they’re really saying is they don’t care about residents and small businesses because they have other priorities.

What's Happened So Far?

NFPA calls for a minimum of four firefighters to staff each primary “apparatus,” vehicles such as fire engines and ladder trucks. There’s also an OSHA policy that calls for similar personnel staffing for structure fires or HazMat incidents requiring respiratory protection, read the policy here.

In a tirade aimed at firefighters who addressed the City Council at its March 26 meeting (watch the video here), Mayor Morgan claimed rather braggadociously, that just three out of 11 primary apparatus are staffed to the NFPA’s national minimum standard.

Morgan’s statement that night confirmed another disturbing fact. The City of Round Rock touts its distinction of earning a Class 1 Public Protection Classification rating (ISO-1). In reality, the City’s fire department does not actually meet minimum staffing levels required for an ISO class 1 rating. ISO ratings can impact property insurance rates, particularly for commercial properties.

More recently, the Mayor and the City have embarked on a disingenuous campaign that uses fearmongering and mudslinging against Proposition B supporters in an effort to encourage residents to vote against their own best interests. Chief of among their claims is that Proposition B will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to implement, will cripple the city’s budget, and will divert funds away from other city services. Don’t take the bait. Read the document, “How ESD 9 Pays For Prop B,” which sets out in painstaking detail a realistic calculation of the personnel costs to implement Proposition B.

Our professional firefighters have repeatedly urged the Mayor and City Council to correct these deficiencies, but they’ve been ignored. Now, it’s up to all of us to protect our firefighters, families, neighbors, and business owners by getting out and voting YES on Proposition B.

How Is Proposition B Presented On The Ballot?

“Proposition B. Shall the home rule charter of the City of Round Rock, Texas, be amended to add Article XVI to require the City of Round Rock Fire Department to implement the NFPA 1710 minimum staffing levels and performance objectives for alarm answering, alarm processing, turnout, and travel times; require phased deadlines between 2027 and 2037 for compliance; require a biennial analysis for compliance to be conducted by the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF); and require the waiver of sovereign immunity by the city for any enforcement suits for non-compliance.”

What Is Protect Round Rock's Guidance On Other Ballot Items?

The Steering Committee of Protect Round Rock decided that our group will NOT endorse any candidates running for elective office in this election. We strongly urge a YES vote on Proposition B.

We strongly urge a NO vote on Proposition A because passage will permanently enshrine the right for one or more private companies to install and operate electronic billboards in the City of Round Rock, will introduce visual blight and light pollution along our highways, creates further distraction for drivers traveling at 75 MPH+ along SH-45, unnecessarily duplicates other more, effective emergency notification means, and offers minimal benefit to the public.

What Does Fire Protection Have To Do With Battling Data Centers In Round Rock?
In A Word, Everything.

Let’s first start with a flashback to the Stop Skybox Data Center fight. You’ll recall that both Skybox and the City of Round Rock repeatedly claimed that data centers “don’t require much support from City services” and “rarely need emergency responses.” The City knew when they made those claims in 2025 and 2026 that they were intentionally misleading the public.

According to a fire incident report obtained via open records request, a major, two-alarm fire that occurred at the Sabey Data Center on March 22, 2024 required dispatching virtually all our city fire department’s key resources to the site, required assistance from neighboring fire departments, and took nearly five hours to battle.

All those resources were required to make up for the longstanding staffing inadequacies that the City has stubbornly and persistently denied existed and failed to correct for years.

Fires at data centers require massive responses because of their complexity, the hazardous materials involved, and the potential for release of toxic smoke and water into the environment. If our fire department isn’t adequately staffed, our City’s firefighting resources can quickly become depleted and potentially diverted away from other calls for service.

And, that’s exactly what happened in 2024. According to the fire incident report, the Sabey fire released toxins and carcinogens into the atmosphere, nearby storm drains, and into Brushy Creek. The reported data available so far cites the drain on taxpayer-funded resources and the significant harm to our professional firefighters.

• 14 primary and specialized apparatus (engines, trucks, rescue, HazMat)

• 44 firefighters

• $2 million in property damage

• $250,000 in firefighting equipment damage

• At least 44 firefighters exposed to carcinogens and other toxins

References And Resources